coral reefs

coral reefs

A free screening of the documentary "Chasing Coral" will be shown on Feb. 28, in Foster Auditorium of Paterno Library on the University Park campus. A panel discussion by Penn State scientists will follow the screening.

Todd LaJeunesse, associate professor of biology, studies coral reefs, a crucial ecosystem in decline worldwide. In this Probing Questions video, LaJeunesse touches on what people can do to reverse this trend and allow the reefs to recover.

An invasive species of symbiotic micro-alga has spread across the Caribbean Sea, according to an international team of researchers. These single-cell algae, which live within the cells of coral animals, are improving the resilience of coral communities to heat stress caused by global warming, but also are diminishing the abilities of corals to build reefs.

How are the coral communities doing now, four years after they were damaged by the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? You can find out by watching live webcams and sending messages to the scientists on a research ship that will be in the Gulf until July 4. The research expedition is led by Chief Scientist Chuck Fisher, a Penn State University professor of biology.

Coral reefs are suffering from overfishing and other types of resource exploitation, says Todd LaJeunesse. In addition, they are being degraded by pollution from sewage and agricultural runoff, and by increasing sea-surface temperatures and acidification as a result of global warming. It's going to take more than hope to save them.

In this last of three dispatches from Northeast Brazil, Todd LaJuenesse and colleagues dive for coral in in Joao Pessoa. Researchers at Penn State, the University of Georgia and Universidade Federal de Campina Grande are embarking on a quest to document the uniqueness of Brazil's coral species by studying the symbiotic algae that they require to survive. In addition, they will investigate the evolutionary biology of the coral-algal symbiosis to see if they can uncover secrets about the organisms' ancient histories and their potential to withstand the ravages of climate change.

Join Todd LaJeunesse, assistant professor of biology at Penn State, and his colleagues from University of Georgia and Universidade Federal de Campina Grande as they collect coral and algae samples at Praia do Forte beach in Salvador, Brazil. Their goal: to uncover secrets about the organisms' ancient histories and their potential to withstand the ravages of climate change. Part 2 of a 3-part series.

Coral communities worldwide are suffering from diseases, pollution and global warming, but Brazil's reef system is one of the few that has managed to escape noticeable damage - at least for now. Researchers at Penn State, the University of Georgia, and Universidade Federal de Campina Grande are embarking on a quest to document the uniqueness of Brazil's coral species by studying the symbiotic algae that they require to survive. In addition, they will investigate the evolutionary biology of the coral-algal symbiosis to see if they can uncover secrets about the organisms' ancient histories and their potential to withstand the ravages of climate change.
For 10 days in November, the scientists will swim along the reef-line - that border between the protected inner shore and the high seas - taking biopsies of coral tissue that contain the symbiotic algae. They then will analyze the samples in a laboratory. The team's expectations for identifying unique combinations of coral and algae are high. After all, the region is celebrated for its abundant, endemic sea life, including over 14 species of sharks; the scientists are keenly aware of the need to watch their backs while they work on the ocean bottom.
Stay tuned for dispatches and photos from Salvador, Recife and Joao Pessoa in the coming week!

The vast Amazon rainforest teeming with exotic animals. Beautiful, bronzed people basking on white-sand beaches. Carnival-goers sipping lime-and-sugar-infused Caipirinhas while swaying to the rhythms of samba. Brazil is known for many things, but the country only recently is gaining recognition for one of its most important natural treasures: its coral reefs.